George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist known for supporting liberal causes, is now setting his sights on the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
According to a report by the conservative Media Research Center (MRC), Soros has funneled over $80 million to groups advocating for increased online censorship in the lead-up to next year’s critical vote, according to a new report from Fox News.
At the center of this effort is Free Press, a media watchdog organization that has received significant funding from Soros.
While Free Press claims to protect people’s rights to “connect and communicate,” the MRC alleges that the group’s true aim is to pressure tech giants into silencing conservative voices ahead of the election.
“One of the wealthiest men in the world is using his vast wealth and power to silence regular Americans,” warned Dan Schneider, vice president of MRC Free Speech America.
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He told Fox News Digital that this move comes at a time when “defending free speech is key” and accused “leftists” of trying to “shut down the voices of half of America.”
The MRC’s report, authored by associate editor Joseph Vazquez, points to a recent press release from Free Press as evidence of this censorship push.
George Soros and his son @AlexanderSoros say they want to create "open societies," but they don't. Around the world, including in Brazil, they are working with the US government to spread disinformation, demand censorship, and "kill off civil society." pic.twitter.com/SsgXt0OrCD
— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) May 14, 2024
The release touts a letter, signed by 200 organizations and individuals, urging executives at major tech platforms to implement six “interventions” to keep online spaces “safe and healthy” in 2024.
Vazquez wrote that the letter’s “true design is to pressure Big Tech companies to silence speech the left despises” in the lead-up to next year’s elections across 60 countries. He argued that the document’s “primary target is interfering in the 2024 U.S. election,” calling it “directly in line with Soros’ brand.”
The letter’s proposed measures include reinstating “election-integrity policies,” enforcing rules against “election lies and hate in political advertising,” requiring disclosure of AI-generated political content, and holding influential accounts to the same standards as regular users.
Vazquez highlighted the Soros ties of many signatories, with the MRC tallying over $80 million in funding from the billionaire between 2016 and 2022.
Global Witness, a climate change-focused group that has pressured Facebook and TikTok to ramp up censorship, received the lion’s share at more than $20 million.
FIRST ON FOX – Free Press, a media group financed by liberal billionaire George Soros, "is looking to incorporate global pressure to push Big Tech platforms to juice their censorship operations before the 2024 U.S. presidential election," according to the Media Research Center. pic.twitter.com/hdshxOJ9iz
— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarluskaP) May 15, 2024
Another signatory, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, was recently implicated in a House Judiciary Committee investigation for compiling a “hate groups” blacklist targeting conservative and faith-based organizations. This list was allegedly shared with law enforcement and financial institutions.
The MRC warned that Free Press’s “obsession with censorship and gaining control of the Internet cannot be overstated,” noting the group’s past influence on Obama-era net neutrality regulations.
Vazquez concluded, “Americans beware. The Soros network is coming after your free speech just in time for the U.S. elections — again.”